A Method of Improving the Quality of Molded Plastics by Ultrasonic Vibration

• Published in: Seikei kakou Vol. 6; no. 1; pp. 64 - 69
• Main Authors: NISHIWAKI, Nobuhiko, CUI, Ailing, KONNO, Masaaki, HORI, Sankei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Japan Society of Polymer Processing 1994
• Subjects: Injection molding; Ultrasonic vibration; Uniform crystallinity
• ISSN: 0915-4027; 1883-7417
• DOI: 10.4325/seikeikakou.6.64

When a crystalline or semi-crystalline thermoplastic is used as a molded resin, the crystallinity of the molded resin is directly related to its quality, because the part shrinkage, mechanical strength, Young's modulus and so on vary according to the crystallinity. In general, the cooling speed varies from place to place in the mold, so uniform crystallinity cannot be obtained. On the other hand, it seems that crystallinity is accelerated by vibration, for example, supercooled water (<0°C) suddenly crystallizes when it is vibrated. However, the influence of vibration on crystallization has not been clarified. When a mold is forcibly vibrated by an ultrasonic vibration, it is possible that the crystallinity of the molded resin may increase due to the vibration, and thus the quality may be improved. In this study, a molded resin is vibrated during the filling, packing and cooling stages by an ultrasonic vibration. In this case, the resin is vibrated directly by an ejector pin or indirectly by the mold. High density polyethylene (HDPE) is used as the molded material. From these experimental results, it is evident that the crystallinity of the resin molded under vibration conditions is improved in comparison with the non-vibrated molded case and that the cooling speed of the molded resin has not been affected by the vibration when the mold is indirectly vibrated.